For EV Charging, It’s Home Sweet Home

Where will you charge your electric vehicle? That was the question posed by the information survey group Chartwell, which reported that 89 percent of the 1,500 North American consumers it polled said they would be “likely” or “extremely likely” to charge their plug-in cars at home.

Not only did most people surveyed believe that home would be their primary charging site, but a large portion of the respondents said they would plug in during off-peak, overnight hours. (That would make utilities, worried about grid stability, happy.) Just 11 percent of consumers could forsee using charging stations away from their home as the primary means for fuel, according to the study.

image vie EV Connect

Chartwell’s EV Council, a group of utilities facilitated by Chartwell, said it will use information uncovered in the new study to create messaging around electric vehicles and consumer opinions and behaviors. The council, which includes charter members DTE Energy, FPL and PacificCorp, will also work together to share practices.

The study will also be addressed at the Chartwell Electric Vehicle Programs Summit, set for Nov. 15-16 in San Diego. The Summit will highlight the information learned about consumer behavior and electric vehicles as well as other issues to succesfully integrating electric vehicles in consumer’s everyday lives.

Kristy Hessman is a writer and native Oregonian who currently resides in California. Before starting her own company, she worked as a reporter covering business and politics for daily newspapers and The Associated Press.